Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton

Annual Report and Accounts

of the

Parochial Church Council 2021

This report covers the calendar year

January to December 2020

The Church of St John the Evangelist, 6 Burford Road, Carterton OX18 3AA Rector and Chair of Parochial Church Council: The Rev’d Andrew Tweedy Office Telephone: 01993 846996 Email: [email protected] / Website: www.stjohnschurchcarterton.org.uk Part of the Brize Norton and Carterton Team Ministry in the Diocese of Oxford The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Table of Contents Foreword by the Team Rector, Reverend Andrew Tweedy ...... 2 Background ...... 3 History, Aims and Purposes ...... 3 The Building ...... 3 Objectives and Activities ...... 4 Achievements and Performance ...... 4 Ministry ...... 4 Worship, Prayer and Teaching ...... 4 Worship and Teaching for Children and Young People ...... 5 Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals (“Occasional Offices”) ...... 5 Pastoral Care ...... 6 Mission and Evangelism ...... 6 RAF Brize Norton Chaplaincy ...... 6 Ecumenism ...... 6 St John’s CE Aided Primary School – Reverend Andrew Tweedy ...... 7 Volunteers ...... 7 Activities of Church Groups ...... 7 Charities supported by the PCC and Church members ...... 7 Parochial Church Council (PCC) ...... 8 Administrative Information ...... 8 PCC Membership in 2020 ...... 8 PCC Officers in 2020 ...... 9 Structure, governance and management ...... 9 Deanery Synod ...... 9 Electoral Roll - Linda Wooloff, Electoral Roll Officer ...... 9 General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – Andrew Monkhouse ...... 10 Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults – Stephen Bostock ...... 10 Fabric ...... 10 Audio-Visual...... 10 Financial Review – Ray Goodson, Principal Finance Officer ...... 11 Income ...... 11 Expenditure ...... 11 Overall Situation ...... 11 Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees (Parochial Church Council) ...... 13 Statement of Accounts ...... 14 Appendix – Group Activity Reports & Wider Links with the Community ...... 16

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020

Foreword by the Team Rector, Reverend Andrew Tweedy

This last year has been the strangest for everybody and certainly in my years of ministry. There have been many changes, not least the advent of Covid and various lockdowns with the attendant rules and regulations. The most immediate impact of the pandemic was the move to online services which meant a steep learning curve for all involved; we have gradually improved what is on offer with contributions from different members of the congregation and the addition of a free phoneline for those who do not have access to the internet. Ian Harley deserves an honourable mention here; he has been stalwart in his support and guidance in producing services that can be broadcast from church. When possible, we have also been able to open the church for socially distanced services.

At a Diocesan level, Bishop Colin Fletcher retired, and Gavin Collins was selected to replace him. We are looking forward to meeting and working with Bishop Gavin in the years to come. We also have a new Area Dean, Tess Kuin-Lawton and, in our own parish, Mike Cox has retired as churchwarden and Alison Brown has stepped up to serve alongside Allister Holt. Our treasurer, Richard Matthews, has moved and Ray Goodson has volunteered to carry out his duties. We are extremely grateful to both Mike and Richard for all their contributions and years of service. Perhaps the biggest change has been the appointment of Gary Long as Children and Families Worker. Gary began his work with us in the middle of the first lockdown, but he embraced the challenge with his customary enthusiasm, and we are encouraged to see that ministry growing. Another change that will become more noticeable, once life returns to normal, is an ecumenical partnership with the new Pioneer Methodist Minister, Ian Worrall: we will be supporting him and working alongside him in reaching out to the new residents of Brize Meadow.

However, some things have stayed the same: the most important one being God’s love for us all. His love is constant and unwavering; we know that we can always rely on him and trust him. Many people have had to learn how to use Zoom, facetime, and other methods of keeping in contact, and I am pleased to say that our home groups have kept going online, offering support to each other as well as bible study. Our congregation has remained faithful; supporting each other, in pastoral, practical and prayerful ways. With the roll-out of the vaccine, and the roadmap proposed by the Government, we can start to look forward to life returning to some kind of normality. This pandemic has shown us the importance of social contact and loving each other. Jesus put it so well:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22;37-40)

On a personal note, the greatest challenge for me was being suddenly diagnosed with aortic stenosis which required emergency open heart surgery to replace a heart valve. I was in hospital at the peak of the second wave of Covid and benefitted at first hand from the extraordinary bravery and skill of our NHS staff. I am extremely grateful to them and to everyone who prayed for my recovery or covered my Church duties. Whatever lies ahead, my prayer is that God will continue to bind us all together, teach us his ways and equip us to serve the world in faith and with hope and compassion.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Background History, Aims and Purposes The Church of St John the Evangelist began life in 1908 as a Mission Church in the Parish of Black Bourton. It was rebuilt in 1963 as a dual-purpose hall/church and developed again in 1994 with a new worship area and other facilities including an office. It first had its own minister in the 60’s and the vicarage was built in 1962. Another phase of building was completed in 2010 to extend the church yet further by adding a small kitchen, a catering kitchen and storage.

As a result, St John’s is a now modern multi-purpose building right in the centre of Carterton. A wide range of activities take place here but in the end we like Jesus are about people and relationships. We seek to be the best human beings that we can and believe that this is best achieved by being disciples of Jesus Christ. We are not perfect but are always learning.

Without the generosity and sacrifices made by Carterton people over the years none of this would be here for us today and for those who come after us.

The St John the Evangelist Parochial Church Council (PCC) is the trustee body corporate responsible for working with the incumbent in promoting the whole mission of the church, spiritual, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical in the Parish of Carterton. It has a specific responsibility for the care and maintenance of the “Parish Centre for Worship” (the St John’s Church building) in Burford Road, Carterton.

The Building The “History” section has described the buildings that we are fortunate to have. There is a full fabric report later in this report. The last Quinquennial Survey Report was produced in 2017.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to afford to employ the services of a caretaker and general housekeeping and maintenance of our facilities is carried out by volunteers. However, in the past year, the PCC was able to hire the services of a cleaner to carry out regular routine cleaning of the main facilities.

If this year had been “normal”, in addition to Church activities, significant use would have been made of the building through the hiring of its facilities to groups within the community – for example, uniformed youth groups such as Brownies and Rainbows; exercise classes; the U3A badminton group; as a meeting/training course venue for local organisations and end of term school services. A significant income is derived from the hiring out of the building to outside organisations and private functions. Therefore, a group of volunteers is needed supervise this facet of our work in the community.

A regular offering is as a venue for families with young children who want parties. There are two ways in which this is done. The first is known as “pre-school party packages” where the church provides the use of the hall, play equipment (including a bouncy castle) and kitchen facilities, the families providing their own food. Church volunteers manage these bookings and, as part of the “package”, they set up and clear away the play equipment. The other offering is for a straightforward “DIY party” hire where a family books the space and provides their own entertainment. The hire of our play equipment is available to include in this package. The charges are set at a very competitive rate so that families of most income levels are able to benefit. Again, volunteers are needed to open and close the premises.

However, the completely unprecedented set of circumstances arising from the global Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 prevented all the above activities from taking place. From 23 March 2020, the Government ordered the whole country to “lockdown” as a means of dealing with the Covid 19 virus. All churches were forced to suspend all regular worship and activities, and as a result to cancel all hire bookings by outside groups for an indefinite period.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020

Objectives and Activities Our vision is to be a growing vibrant church, rooted in Christ, that reaches out and serves the whole community.

The PCC is committed to implementing this vision and recognises that we have a responsibility as a charity to advance the cause of the Christian Religion in the Parish of Carterton and to work to enable the people of the parish to live as followers of Jesus Christ.

To facilitate this work, the PCC oversees the activities of the Church and maintains the fabric of the church building. Achievements and Performance Ministry St John’s is part of the Brize Norton and Carterton Benefice and Team Ministry which was formed in 2003. The two parishes are distinct entities, and each has its own PCC. There are significant occasions where the two church communities come together for worship and social activities.

The Team Ministry comprises: • The Reverend Andrew (Drew) Tweedy, Rector • The Reverend Ian Howard, Team Vicar • Mrs Hilary (Billie) Tweedy and Mrs Lyndsay Baker, Licensed Lay Ministers • The Reverend Prebendary Stephen Bessent, a retired priest who assists in many areas of ministry • Mr Gary Long, who was appointed Children and Families Worker in May 2020

Support is provided by the Padres from the RAF Chaplaincy Team who we are pleased to welcome to lead occasional services.

Worship, Prayer and Teaching At the heart of our activities are worship, prayer and teaching about our faith. We want people to think for themselves and know the scriptures as a foundation for their relationships with God, others, the planet and ourselves and to express this in worship, prayer and action.

Under “normal” circumstances, the regular weekly pattern of services at St John’s would comprise a main midweek service of said Holy Communion (Common Worship (CW) Order 1) every Thursday morning. Sunday worship services would include an 8am Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion service with the main service at 10.30am following a basic pattern of Holy Communion (CW Order 1) on the first and third Sundays of each month. All Age Worship or Morning Worship services take place on the second, fourth (and fifth) Sunday and comprises bespoke Morning Prayer which is made up of modern Church of England liturgy put together to suit the theme of the day. Average weekly attendance would be around 80 adults. In addition, smaller gatherings are held in private homes around the parish as home groups, study groups and prayer groups supplement the worship pattern.

However, as mentioned above (and throughout this report), 2020 proved to be a year of exceptions. The global Covid 19 pandemic led to Government restrictions on all forms of gatherings from 23 March when the country was put into lockdown. This included the closure of church buildings for open worship.

St John’s is in the fortunate position of having a range of good audio and technical facilities. The Ministry Team were able to quickly adapt the Sunday worship offering into a virtual service broadcast over the internet to both churches in the Benefice. Those members of the community with the appropriate 4

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 technology have been able to participate in a weekly live broadcast Communion service, archived for subsequent viewing via hyper-links to Facebook and YouTube. From basic beginnings in March, over the subsequent weeks this service was developed and enhanced to include pre-recorded input from members of the Benefice congregation in the form of readings, intercessionary prayers and worship songs and music. With the benefits of the internet, many people outside the regular church family have been able to “view” our services, and we have been able to reach a wider audience. The service has been followed by a virtual “coffee morning” on Zoom to allow people to keep in touch with each other socially. Conscious that not everyone in the church family has online technology or computing ability, every effort has been made by the Ministry Team to reach out to members of the congregation so that they can be included. Written copies of sermons and other communications have been hand-delivered to homes, and a telephone line was also set up for people to phone in to the services. The regular home bible study and prayer groups have also managed to keep going by broadcasting on Zoom.

The church building was briefly allowed to open up again for worship in September. Initially, a separate Communion service was held in the building, in addition to the virtual online service for those who preferred to self-isolate. Numbers attending had to be restricted in line with Government regulations on gatherings and social distancing, so a pre-booking system was introduced to track and trace attendees should the need arise. Regulations were strictly applied with seating at a safe social distance, with face masks worn when in the building. No hymns were permitted, and communion wafers (no wine) were served by the priest to a seated congregation. Gradually, it was possible to merge the in-building and virtual services into one single event.

The challenge of putting together a Christmas programme of worship was met through a combination of in- house and online services. Christingle kits were prepared for collection by families in advance of an online service. Two evening carol services were held in the car park. A crib service was streamed on Christmas Eve morning, for which viewings exceeded 700. Midnight Communion on Christmas Eve was another virtual service, with a Christmas Day service held in the building and online. Unfortunately, at the end of December, a further lockdown was imposed by the Government and the church entered 2021 once again shut for communal worship.

Worship and Teaching for Children and Young People Thanks to money received from a generous legacy, the PCC was able to realise a long-time ambition and appoint a Children and Families Worker. We were fortunate to be able to recruit Gary Long who became available when his previous posting in another local parish came to an end. Gary started work in May, and despite the difficulties imposed by lockdown, Gary was quickly able to begin establishing links within the community and to develop a programme of outreach for both families with young children, older children and with the local schools.

Gary took over responsibility for leading the monthly Messy Church services from Drew and Billie Tweedy. These became online events, with an activity kit being provided in advance of each session. During the year, he also started a mid-week virtual meeting for younger children, and a programme of events for newly set up youth group. In the school summer holiday period, he was able to organise outdoor activity events including several picnics for the youth group, and a virtual “holiday” club during August.

Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals (“Occasional Offices”) The Ministry Team has worked hard to offer a first-rate service for these events, but we are unable to escape from national trends in what people want to do. The Ministry Team has continued to work closely in both churches of the Benefice to cover needs.

Again in 2020, all occasional office services were restricted by Government legislation. Although eight baptisms were held before lockdown, all but one of the other baptisms booked at St John’s had to be 5

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 postponed. The Ministry Team continued to conduct funeral services when requested. A total of 17 funerals were conducted during the year. Six were held in church before lockdown, but subsequent services took place off-site at crematoria. The number of attendees were restricted due to national social distancing regulations. One thanksgiving service was held at St John’s in October. Government restrictions have prevented weddings taking place during the year.

Pastoral Care The Pastoral Care Team worked extremely hard throughout the year to look after the well-being of families and vulnerable adults affected by the pandemic and the isolation, financial hardship and mental anguish this has caused. Billie Tweedy and Lyndsay Baker took responsibility for keeping in frequent touch with as many of the church family as possible through regular phone calls. The rest of the pastoral group leaders also added to this support with phone calls, and a team of volunteers was set up to help meet basic needs such as shopping or medical trips for those self-isolating.

A hardship fund was set up by the PCC to fill an identified need by offering one-off emergency financial assistance to families struggling to couple with loss of income due to furlough or redundancy.

A “kit” was put together to provide immediate aid to a homeless person who might seek help at the church door, to provide clothing, emergency food and the bus fare to travel on to a shelter.

Mission and Evangelism In response to the Commission given to Christians by Jesus Himself (See Matthew 28 vv16-end), St John’s seeks to reach out to others with the love of God. Actions are more powerful than words and we seek to earn a hearing for the Gospel. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, neither a Civic Service was held in September nor the town’s Remembrance Sunday service in November.

The “Party Package” initiative (mentioned above) originally started life as a means of generating revenue for a Mission Fund to help support applicants who wished to pursue a specific mission project, such as short-term volunteering trips abroad with a missionary organisation. The brief of this Mission Fund has since evolved into a Discipleship Fund, with a broader remit of providing grants to help people explore their personal faith journeys. Applications have been granted in past, for example, to help people meet the costs of attending Spring Harvest, attending courses or purchasing books. A small PCC sub-group oversees approval of the grants, currently comprising Lyndsay Baker (chair), Steve Bostock and Ian Harley.

RAF Brize Norton Chaplaincy For many years there has been a good working relationship with the Chaplains at RAF Brize Norton. This is an important aspect of evangelism since there is now no longer a church presence on the Base. The Chaplaincy Team have been assured of a warm welcome at St John’s as a venue when needed. We look forward to working and praying together in future as this relationship of mutual support is highly valued. The RAF Chaplaincy help organise and lead the annual Remembrance Day Service in November, which unfortunately was not able to take place in 2020.

Ecumenism St John’s is part of “Carterton Christians in Unity”, the operating name representing the group running Carterton’s ecumenical activities. In “normal” times, along with regular committee meetings, several events would be arranged during the year to reach out to the wider community. These would include a monthly evening worship service held at St John’s, the World Day of Prayer service in March, an Easter activities workshop for families, an Easter Walk of Witness from Shilton Park to the town centre and a carol singing event in the market square leading up to Christmas. Lyndsay Baker and Liz Wood represent St John’s on the organising committee. 6

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Pioneer Ministry: Methodist Minister Rev Ian Worrall was appointed in September 2020 to a newly created post with a brief to engage in Pioneer Ministry on Brize Meadow and Shilton Park, as well as leading Carterton Methodist Church. Ian and his wife Sue moved into the Vicarage at 8 Trefoil Way in a special arrangement negotiated by Rev Drew with the Diocese and the Methodist Circuit, and they are settling in well. They are building relationships in the community and prayerfully exploring opportunities for outreach in partnership with ourselves and other local Churches. St John’s PCC has budgeted for up to £3,000 pa to support Rev Ian’s Pioneer Ministry but because of Covid restrictions this has not yet been called for.

St John’s CE Aided Primary School – Reverend Andrew Tweedy Having received a well-deserved Outstanding Ofsted rating in February 2020, St John’s School, ably led by Headteacher Mark Smith, has not rested on its laurels. The school has responded superbly to the unprecedented challenges of the Covid pandemic in providing support for children learning at home and when conditions allowed, enabling them to make the transition back to the school site. I have worked with a lot of schools over the years but have never come across a school which is so well focused on every aspect of pupil and staff wellbeing or in which the distinctive Christian values are so thoroughly embedded. It has been a privilege to serve as a Foundation Governor of the school, alongside Mike Watts and Chair of Governors Simon Watson, and to support the Collective Worship and other aspects of the life of the school with the help of Rev Ian Howard and Children and Families Worker, Gary Long. They have carried the burden of the work, especially during my absence through illness, and I am looking forward to doing my share in the future as we continue to build on the great partnership between the Church and School.

Volunteers St John’s is fortunate to be able to call on a committed group of volunteers without whom our current ministry would be unsustainable. The range of background tasks is vast: paying the bills; keeping our computer systems working; checking accoutrements in the facilities; putting out the rubbish; refreshments and catering social church family events; gardening and flower arranging; administering private hire bookings for the hall; leading home group meetings; men’s and ladies’ ministry; social groups and pastoral care; and also coordinating the worship music. The PCC recognises and gratefully thanks all those who gave so generously of their time, especially during this very difficult past year.

Activities of Church Groups There are many groups at St John’s operating under the authority of the PCC some of which have been mentioned above. Unfortunately, all group activities were suspended in March due to Covid 19 restrictions. It is hoped that these can resume in 2021 as they provide a valuable way for the church family and others to meet together in a social setting.

Charities supported by the PCC and Church members The PCC encourages members to give to others beyond our own church. As a Church focus is on a number of charities. The Charities currently supported by St John’s are: • Children’s Society – giving via personal collection boxes and through the Christingle service. Unfortunately, the restrictions imposed by Covid 19 had a detrimental effect on fund-raising in 2020 for this long-supported charity. Giving via the personal collection boxes, from in the region of 100 box holders, were affected by the lack of available cash circulating in the economy, since retailers were reluctant to accept anything other than card payments for purchases. Around 21 boxes were returned in the Autumn, and a cheque was sent off to the value of £1,054.70, representing about half the normal annual amount collected. The date for emptying boxes has now been changed to March/April 2021. The usual Christingle “candle” collection was also unable to take place this year. However, on a positive note, the Christingle service did take place in December in the form of a virtual broadcast. Fifty Christingle kits containing two oranges were handed out in advance, with the oranges kindly

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 donated by the Carterton Morrison’s supermarket, and £65.16 was donated by families who received them. Overall, box collection monies were down by 50% and Christingle collections by 90% this year. • Gatehouse Oxford – sandwiches made monthly in church and delivered to the Oxford hub, along with toiletries. Unfortunately, after March when Covid restrictions took effect, the Gatehouse premises were shut to guests and self-distancing prevented any sandwiches to be prepared. However, the PCC acted to set up a monthly bank transfer donation equivalent to their cost, which has helped the Gatehouse continue its work to help the homeless. Beginning in early April 2020, in partnership with the Oxford Food Hub, they swiftly adapted to deliver a service of food and drink to the most vulnerable. In June 2020, the drop-in centre at The Gatehouse was reopened as a take-away centre. During 2020, over 28,000 meals were distributed. The latest advice is that our normal service of making sandwiches will resume in September 2021. The usual retiring collection during Advent was also prevented since no cash collections were permitted at services. • The Besom in Witney- donating non-perishable foods, toiletries and household products. Unfortunately, with access to the church building being greatly restricted for most of the year, the donation of items was largely impossible this year. However, the proceeds from the annual Harvest Service were gratefully received and passed on to the Besom who have worked hard to meet the increased requests for crisis food parcels to vulnerable people in the area throughout this pandemic. • Royal British Legion – As mentioned above, it was not possible to host the annual Remembrance Service in November. • CAP (Christians Against Poverty) - St John’s is proud to have continued its partnership with this debt relief charity. Members of the congregation continue to work with the CAP Debt Coach as client ‘befrienders’. It is hoped that this work will grow as there are many facets to CAP’s national work that will meet the needs of people in Carterton. The PCC continues its support by making a regular monthly monetary donation to assist the local area CAP office in Witney with their running costs. The home groups were also pleased to help put together Christmas hampers for distribution to families specifically identified by CAP.

Parochial Church Council (PCC) Administrative Information The PCC address is, St John’s Church, 6 Burford Road, Carterton, Oxfordshire, OX18 3AA. It is part of the Deanery of Witney in the Diocese of Oxford within the Church of England. It is a “Body Corporate” (see PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2017) and is currently an “excepted charity” which is therefore not registered with the Charity Commission (ie: it has no charity number). This would have to change if or when our annual income exceeds £100,000.

PCC Membership in 2020 Although scheduled to take place on 29 March, due to “lockdown” the Annual Church Meetings did not take place until 18 September. The election of replacement officers was therefore delayed by several months. Glenys Edwards, Michael Thompson (Lay Chair) and Richard Matthews (Treasurer) stood down from the PCC during the year, and Michael Cox stood down as Churchwarden. This meeting was held in the church building and broadcast via Zoom. A token of appreciation was presented to both Michael Cox and Richard Matthews for their valued contribution to the life of the church during their times in office.

Team Rector: Reverend Andrew (Drew) Tweedy Team Vicar: Reverend Ian Howard Licensed Lay Ministers: Lyndsay Baker & Hilary (Billie) Tweedy Churchwardens: Michael Cox was replaced by Miss Alison Brown. Allister Holt continued in the role of Churchwarden throughout 2020. The new wardens were sworn into office during a service in November.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Deanery Synod Representatives: Roy Morris was re-elected for another three-year term. As the number on the electoral roll decreased in 2020, the allocation of representatives dropped down to two. One vacancy remains.

A total of nine lay members makes up the PCC. Up to three members can be elected each year to serve for three years and are eligible for re-election at the end of their period in office.

Elected 2018 Stephen Bostock, Ian Harley, Michael Thompson (for a period of three years) Elected 2019 Doreen Trezise (for a period of one year, required to stand down this year and apply for re-election) Elected 2019 Andrew Monkhouse, Richard Matthews, Linda Wooloff (for a period of three years) Elected 2020 Michael Cox, Ray Goodson, Janet Sayer, Doreen Trezise. One vacancy remains

PCC Officers in 2020 Chair: Reverend Andrew Tweedy Lay Chair: Ian Harley Secretary & Electoral Roll Officer: Linda Wooloff Treasurer: The position of Treasurer remains unfilled following the resignation of Richard Matthews, but Ray Goodson was elected to the role of Principal Finance Officer.

Structure, governance and management The PCC operates under the law as stated in the “Parochial Church Council Powers Measure”. Membership and the appointment of members is governed by the latest edition of the “Church Representation Rules”. The PCC is responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the Parish, including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

The full PCC met nine times in 2020. From April, these meetings were held virtually on Zoom. Two Standing Committee meetings were held prior to lockdown but were suspended from March, being replaced by a small group comprising the Rector, Benefice Wardens and Stephen Bostock who worked together to prepare a continuity plan, as required by the Diocese, to establish procedures and actions necessary for the churches to function within Government guidelines during the pandemic.

A further two joint meeting of the Benefice PCCs were held via Zoom in March and August to coordinate plans resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic.

As mentioned above, the PCC set aside a sum of money to provide a Hardship Fund to offer one-off financial payments for families identified as being in particular need. This team comprised Lyndsay Baker (chair), Billie Tweedy, Michael Thompson (later replaced by Janet Sayer) and Linda Wooloff.

The PCC’s other sub-committee, as mentioned earlier, handles applications to the Discipleship Fund grant scheme.

Deanery Synod The normal programme of meetings was suspended during the year, due to the pandemic.

Electoral Roll - Linda Wooloff, Electoral Roll Officer The Electoral Roll was initially refreshed in anticipation of an APCM being held in March. With the postponement of this meeting due to the pandemic, the Diocese instructed parishes to re-open and update their electoral rolls prior to a rescheduled APCM, which in the case of St John’s was 18 October. After this second refresh, the number on the Roll had increased by one to 77. 9

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – Andrew Monkhouse Andrew Monkhouse took over the role of Data Control Officer from Michael Thompson in November and has begun a review of our documentation and procedures to ensure they comply with all the current guidelines. In a year where it has been necessary to collect personal contact details for people booking in for church services, vigilance in a strict adherence to storing and destroying this information when no longer required has been maintained. The use of “blind copy” addressees when communicating with large numbers of the church family has also been practised. Video clips have only been used with the permission of participants. A notice at the entrance to the church hall from the foyer announces that services may be recorded both in video as well as audio and there are provisions for those who need to avoid appearing on any video to be seated in a “dark” area of the sanctuary. Recordings are numbered to aid traceability.

Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults – Stephen Bostock The Safeguarding Officer for St John’s Church is Jeanette Welsh. When Victoria Jackson moved away from the parish in November, Alison Brown took over the role of Deputy Safeguarding Officer. Both can be contacted via dedicated Church email addresses or the website. The Verification Officer for the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks is Stephen Bostock. Diocesan safeguarding training was carried out by Jeanette in January for all volunteers and any members of our Church that required a better understanding of the issues.

Fabric Work on the fabric of the building was much curtailed during 2020 due to the closure of the building. The safety of the building was closely monitored on a regular basis by Michael Cox and Allister Holt, including weekly fire alarm testing. Social distancing and the hygienic use of the building were of paramount concern and the necessary guidelines were followed in this respect. It was possible to carry out some general maintenance projects, such as fencing repairs and tree-felling, during the year. It was possible carry out some routine maintenance, such as boiler and main door servicing. However, all work on the medium to long term projects was suspended. It is hoped these projects can again be scheduled with a timetable for completion when the pandemic is over.

Audio-Visual The Covid 19 pandemic and the need to quickly react to the suspension of regular in-house worship was embraced by the Rector and technical team. A regular weekly Sunday service broadcast via Zoom was soon created. As weeks went by, it became possible to include an opening interview slot with various members of the community, including those with connections to mental health, the RAF and the pastor at the Homestead Care Home. Congregation members from both churches contributed with music, readings and prayers to make it an inclusive Benefice experience. The services have been made available on Facebook and YouTube so can attract a wider audience. Viewing figures have been very encouraging. Along with the Ministry Team, thanks particularly go to Ian and Sharon Harley and Stephen Hester, Bob and Kath Monkhouse, Mike and Linda Cox for their hard work in putting together these very professional broadcasts.

Mike Watts has provided his expertise in helping to run our office software and IT systems. During the year, Mike oversaw the replacement of several back-office systems. The emailing system were streamlined into Microsoft and the website platform move from Weebly to Wordpress. Billie Tweedy took over the day-to-day administration of this website which is now provides a much-improved advertisement of the church’s activities. Mike has also been available to provide “help desk” solutions and to coach other members of the leadership team in use of these systems.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Financial Review – Ray Goodson, Principal Finance Officer

Formally, as is the protocol for Church finances, the 2020 Financial Statements and this Financial Review Narrative for St John the Evangelist Church Carterton Parochial Church Council, were prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006. They are formulated on a ‘Receipts and Payments’ basis and this Review period is from January to December 2020. As is required by current Charity Commission Financial Regulations the ‘Annual Accounts’ of the PCC have been independently examined. That procedure was completed by Shilton Accounting Services.

Income In common with many other churches, the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns had a marked effect on the income of this church during 2020. Year on year, the mainstay of our income has been the money given ‘voluntarily’ by its congregants, whether through the collection plate; by regular giving schemes; or by generous donations. In addition, fundraising and other money raising activities have always ensured sufficient funds for this church to meet its financial obligations and ‘break even’. It is immediately evident, when comparing the ‘Income’ from 2020 money generating activities with similar of 2019, that the full impact of the ‘marked effect’ becomes apparent. The absence of collections being taken during services caused a 59% drop in cash received; ‘Planned Giving’ - income mainly generated from regular standing order giving and Gift Aid refunds - declined by approximately 31%; ‘Other Receipts’ – income generally generated from fundraising events and hiring out our facilities for example - was reduced by 93%. Two income streams remained positive: receipts from the ‘Parish Giving Scheme’ increased by almost 31% and the cash return from the CCLA Investment Funds increased by 4.11%.

Expenditure Out of a total spend of nearly £99.5K during the 2020 financial year, the Diocesan Parish Share payment was, at £55,722, the largest single expenditure. Part way through the year the PCC agreed to commence the employment of a Children and Families Worker. Salary, tax, pension and expenses for this position amounted to £14,399.25 during the 2020 accounting year. Those two items of expenditure aside, the accumulated expenses of 2020 were significantly lower than those of 2019 – at £29,355 being one-third lower. Consequently ‘Total payments’ for the 2020 financial year only increased by less than half of 1%.

Overall Situation The St. John’s current account with HSBC began the year in a strong credit position having an opening balance of over £61,228. With expenditure consistently exceeding income month on month from March onwards, at year end this credit balance had reduced to £45,223. A £16,005 difference. To have broken even during the 2020 financial year, ie for income to have been sufficient to meet all the payments incurred, a further £12,525 would have been required (or approximately £1,044 extra income per month).

The Restricted Fabric Fund Account held by HSBC had a credit balance of £3,480.

Although the Receipts vs Payments balance is in the negative, St John’s Church was incredibly fortunate at year end to have assets of in excess of £829K, over £780K of which came from the generous legacies of Robert and Peter Keene. The wise decision of the PCC in 2017 and subsequently, to continue to invest the ‘Legacy Capital’ in CCLA Investment Funds provides a solid return and a credit buffer should a decline in income continue whilst church attendances remain low.

Reserves Policy Since 2018 it has been the policy of the Parochial Church Council to seek to maintain a credit balance on ‘Unrestricted Funds’ equivalent to two months’ average payments. At the start of 2020 and based on the ‘Total Expenses’ of the 2019 Annual Accounts this revised ‘Reserve’ amounted to £16,500. The assumption 11

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 by the committee, that this reserve would also be sufficient to cover emergency building work, continued as policy throughout the 2020 Financial Year.

Although not formally discussed and formulated into a revised reserves policy during 2020, the Council resolved, as initially recorded in the Annual Report of 2017, to continue to invest ‘Legacy’ capital in CBF Funds held within CCLA Investment Funds. The additional sums of money from the ‘Keene’ legacy, received during 2020 were in turn invested in the already established ‘Income’ generating CCLA Investment Funds. In the event of any financial difficulties occurring, unrestricted income could be generated from the investment funds. The PCC has kept under review how reserves could be used to gain maximum benefit for the parish in support of the overall mission of their church.

The PCC extend their gratitude and thanks the Finance Team – Ray Goodson (all financial aspects and banking) and Alison Ford (Gift Aid reclaim) for all their hard work throughout the year.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees (Parochial Church Council)

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Statement of Accounts

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Carterton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council 2021 This report covers the calendar year 2020 Appendix – Group Activity Reports & Wider Links with the Community

All the following activities of the church were suspended in March 2020 because of the global pandemic. It is hoped that they can resume these events as soon as possible when Government restrictions on group gatherings are lifted:

• Friday Drop In: For families with pre-school children • “INSPIRE”: A twice-monthly group meeting for people who benefit greatly from regular social inter- action. • Fellowship Breakfasts: Bi-monthly breakfasts for ladies, men and families. Only one breakfast was held (in January) by the ladies and men. The men heard from Ben Campion who is a member of the congregation at St Britius. He talked about men’s mental health, based on his experience as a specialist nurse in the RAF. • S.T.I.G. (Scalextric racing with Indian grub): An opportunity for men to meet together. Only one event took place during the year (in February), when the men enjoyed an evening of slot car racing with an Indian curry.